Anticlogging attachment for button-fastening machines.



l k E G. W. PERKINS. ANTIGLOGGING ATTACHMENT FOR BUTTON PASTENINGMACHINES.

' MLmA'lIoNA FILED APR. 2, 1913.

Patented Dec. 9, 1913.

Geenen W. PERKINS, lor Bestron, MA

ssAcHUsE'r'rs, AssmNon To HEATQN- PENINSULAR BUTTON FASTENEB, QOMPANY,OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS,

A ACOIRQEOIR'ATIOIT OF MAINE.

ANTICLOGGING ATTACHMENT FOR BUTTONfFASTENING MACHINES.

'Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 2, 1913. Serial No. 758,298.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE citizen of the United States, residing atBoston, county of Suifolk, State of Massachusetts, have invented acertain new and useful Improvement in Anticloggin Attaohments forButton- Fastening' Mac lines, of which vthe following is aspecification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

The invention relates to a button fastening machine. The buttons areusually fed from a hopper through a raceway to the mechanism forattaching the buttons to the boot or shoe or other article to which thebuttons are lto be attached. When the buttons are delivered from thehopper into the upper end of the raceway they usuallyl fall into theraceway in miscellaneous positions, and it '1s necessary that theyshould then be properly positioned so that they will slide down tieraceway in proper form, the eye of Vthe button moving down in a grooveor slot. in the raceway.

The object of the present invention is to provide an improved mechanismfor dislodging any buttons which may be piled up in t-he raceway behindthe switch and to prevent clogging of the passage under the switch tothe lower raceway.

The invention will be fully understood from the following descriptiontaken in connection with the accompanying drawings, and the novelfeatures thereor will be pointed out and clearly defined in the claimsat theclose of the specification.

f For the purpose of fully illustrating the invention it is'shown in theaccom anying drawings as embodied in a niaciine by which the wirefasteners are formed as well as attached to the shoe, but it is to beunderstood that the invention is not limited to use with that particularform of machine.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine embodying theinvention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation on an enlarged scale of a portionof the hopper raceway and the anti-clogging attachment. Fig. 3 is asection on line 3-3 of Fig. 1 enlarged; Fig. 4 is4 section on line 4-4of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective View of the anti-cloggingswitch detached. vHFig. 6 asf-detail perspective view of the fr oovedI''for the anti-clogging switch. Fig. 7:- rsf-a perspective W. PERKINS,

. 1.3 engaging with View of the anti-clogging switch andv the gl'oovedway, shown in Figs. '5 and 6, assembled together. h

Referring now to the drawings,-1 represents the hopper in which thebuttons are held in bulk, and 2 thel hopper stand raceway into which thebuttons are delivered by an elevator 3 having the beveled upper edge 4which lifts the buttons from the hopper and from which they overflowwhen the elevator has reached the upper end of its strokellatented.l)ec.9, 1913. l

buttons falling back into`the hopper 1. The ,s y elevator mechanism isoperated through a connecting rod 5, crank 6, and driving shaft in y"awell known manner. From the hopper stand raceway 2 the buttons pass toaraceway 8, which I term the lower raceway of consider-ably stee )erdescent than the 4hopper raceway 2, an the buttons pass down the racewayfor the fastener is to be threadedthrough the eye of the button. In theparticular form of mechanism shown in the drawings it is intended thatthe wire shall be fed through the eye of the button 9, while the buttonis positioned in a slot in the top of the arbor 10 and that. then theloop and legs, of the fastener shall be formed. One form 8 to theposition wherev the wire of said mechanism for feeding the wire andformino the fastener is shown and described No. ,982.440, dated January24,

in Patint 1911, granted on my application and k1t is not deemednecessary to show such a mechanism in detail. In the accompanyingdrawings of the present application a ortion of the mechanism forforming the astener is shown similar to the mechanism shown in saidpatent. Briefly, 11 is what is termed the former which forms the loop ofthe fastener and is attached to a former holder 12 which is reciprocatedby an arm 13 attached to and moved by a lever 14, said arm av slot 46 inthe former holder 12. Said lever 14 is fulcrumed on a pivot 15, the reararm of said lever 14 carrying a rollwhich engages with a cam groove 16in the side of cam 17 which is mount-edA on shaft 7. The legs of thefastener are formed by what I term a slide 18 which is actuated by anarm 19 attached to and carried by a lever 20, said-arm 19 engaging withav slot 21'in the slide 18. Said lever 20 is l fulcrumcd at 22, the reararm of said lever 65 and roll over into the raceway 2, the surpluscarrying a roll which engages with a cam groove 23 in the opposite faceof the cam 17 'from that which contains the cam groove 16.

- of construction for actuating s'aid former und slide at the propertimes are fully described in said Patent No. 982,440.

When the button is in position for receiving the wire for the fastener,as shown in `Fig. 1, means should beprovided for holding the buttonagainst movement during the feeding of the wire and forming of thefastener, and'this clamping means should also `be -controlled as kto itstime of movement suitably with relation to the time of movement of thefastener forming mechanism. The details of this clamping or placermechanism, as it is termed, do not form a part -o the present invention,bein fully shown and described in another application by me. Briefly, itconsists of a placer block 24 suitabl connected with a lever 25 which iscontrolliid b the movement of the former holder 12. echanism forcarrying the lowermost button in the raceway and properly positioning itbeneath the placer to receive the wire is actuated by 'a rod 26pivotally connected with one end of a lever 27, said lever 27 beingfulcrumed at 28 to the frame of the machine, the rear arm of said lever27 carryinga roll which engages with the rim of said cam 17 so that itsmovements will be properly timed with reference to the movement of thefastener forming mechanism. The particular details of the mechanismcbnnected with the rod 26 which engage and carry the button beneath theplacer are not shown herein, as they form the subject of anotherapplication.

The anti-clogging attachment which forms the special subject of thepresent applicationl will now be described. Secured to the frame justabove the hopper stand raceway near its lower end is a block 29 whichserves as a holder and guide lfor the anti-clogging switch block.

This guide. block 29 is adjustably secured in proper relation to thehopper raceway by means of a screw 30 which extends verticallyy downthrough a tapped-out hole inv a lug 31 on the frame ofthe machine above.the hopper raeewayand down into a tapped- -out hole 32 in the holderblock 29. In yorder with a groove 33 in the side thereof, in whichAacute angle with-'the grooved side of said holderb ock 29 so that saidupper end oi the holder block extends ina diagonal direction crosswiseof the hopper raceway at some elevation above the raceway. The 4switchis formed with a shank 35 which is slidably mountedin the groove 33 inthe side of the holder block 29 and is formed with a head 36 which is`inclined with relation to the shank 35 the same as the inclined end 34ot the holder block 29 is inclined to the grooved side of said block, sothat the face of said head 36 which is toward the' holder block willllie against said inclined face ofthe holder block when it is in itsdownward position. Preferably the said switch is provided with a faceplate 36a of hard steel laterally through an elongated slot 38 in theguard wall 39 rising from the side of the 'hopper raceway and said studv37 engages with a vertical elongated slot 40 in the upper end of alever 41 `fulcrumed at`42 to the frame of the machine, the lower arm ofsaid lever 41 being formed with an elongated slot 43 with which thereenga-ges a stud 44 which projects from one side of the former actuatinglever 14 so that said lever 41 will be actuated by the same lever whichactuates they will be rocked on its thereby m0v' ing the switch 36 onits dOWIl Stmk@ ,in the grooved hollow block 29 and when the lever 14moves in a direction to carry the former down lto form the loo lever 41-will be rocke in the reverse direte tion carrying the switch 36 on itsup stroke.. The switch 36, as previously stated, lies, diagonallycrosswise suliiciently above the hopper raceway, as shown in Fig. 1, sothat when the buttons are properly seat/ed in the raceway they willeasily slide downl under the switch. If there are any of the buttons inan inverted position on the raceway so.

that the eyes stick up or if there is a pile ot buttons, one aboveanother, they will engage the diagonal face of the switch 36 as theswitch 36 makes a reciprocation up and back at each complete strokeofthe former vand slide. This frequent movement or vibration ofthe switchwill throw the buttons to one side and oli' of the hopper raceway on.the vopposite side from the wall 39, the top of y the raoeway beingopen on that side.

of the Y,fasteltier the made Leccese The screw 3() which engages andsuspends the holder block 29 over the raceway is provided with a. fingerpiece or head 45 to manipulate the screw. The screw is formed with acollar 50 on the under side of the lug 31 and the head or thumb piece 45is fast to the shank of the screw so that when the screw is turned itwill raise or lower the 'block 29. By turning the screw it may be raisedor lowered and the holder plate 29 together with the switch 36 willvthereby be raised or lowered so that it may be adjusted to dill'erentelevations above the hopper raceway to allow tor varying sizes otbuttons. The vertically elongated slot ll in the lever al willaccommodate this adjustment of the switch.

While the invention has been shown as embodied in a machine in which theactuating lever il for reciprocating the switch is itself actuated bythe mechanism Which forms and carries the fasteners, it is obvious thatthe lever 4-1 may be actuated by independent mechanism. lt is alsoobvious that the switch may be reciprocated through other means than alever such as al.

`What 1 claim is:

l. In combination with `a button raceway, aclearance switch above theraceway movable in a path parallel with the runway for the buttons inthe raceway and over the heads ofthe buttons properly seated in theraceway, said yswitch member being formed with its upper end extendingacross the.

width of the raceway and beveled at an angle diagonally with the line otmovement of the buttons m the raceway, and means for reciprocating saidswitch member 1n a path parallel with and above the path of movement ofthe buttons properly seated vin the raceway.

2. In combination with a button raceway, a switch block holder, meansfor holding said switch block holder above the raceway,

said switch block holder being formed with a guideway parallel with theline of movement of the buttons in the raceway, a switch block having ashank which is seated in said `truiden-*ay and slidable therein, saidswitch block having a head which extends transversely above saidracewayat the upper end ot said holder block, and means forreciprocatingsaid switch in a path parallel with the line of movement ofthe buttons in the raceway and at an elevation slightly above saidraceway.

3. In combination with a button raceway, a clearance switch above theraceway movable in a path parallel with and above the upper surface ofthe raceway, said switch member being formed with its upper end beveledat an angle diagonally with the line or movement of the buttons in theraceway, means for reciprocating said switch lnember in a path parallelwith and above the path of movement of the buttons properly seated inthe raceway, means for positioning a button at the foot of the racewayto receive a fastener, means for forming a fastener, and means foractuating the forming and positioning mechanism and for reciprocatingsaid` switch member whereby their movements are timed with relation toeach other.

4. In combination with a button raceway, a clearance switch above theraceway movable in a path parallel with and above the upper surface ofthe raceway, said switch member being formed with its upper end beveledat an anglediagonally with the line of movement of the buttons in theraceway,

one side of said raceway being open and the other side being formed withAa side wall rising above the raceway, said side wall being formed withan elongated slot, said switch member being formed with a stud whichprojects through the slot in the sidev of said wall, a fulcrumed leverwhich engages with said stud, and means for rocking said lever on itsrfulcrum whereby reciproeating movement is given to said switch member.

5. lin combination with a button raceway, a stationary switch holdermounted over the raceway, a clearance switch slidably mounted on saidholder, having its upper end diagonally inclined crosswise of theraceway at a slight elevation above the raceway, and means forreciprocating said clearance switch in a path above said raceway andparallel with the path of movement of the buttons in the raceway.

6. In combination with a button raceway, a switch bloc-k holder,adjustable means for holding` said switch block holder above theraceway, said switch block holder being formed with a groove in one sidethereof parallel with the raceway, a switch block having a shank whichis seated in said groove and slidable therein, said switch block havinga head which extends transversely above said raceway at the upper endot' said holder block. and means tor reciprocating said switch in a pathparallel with and at an elevation slightly above said raceway.

In testimony whereof l aiiix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE lV. PERKNS. YWitnesses:

Nieman A. Coran-xiao, ALICE H. MORRISON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

